Druckmann: There’s another story to tell after Left Behind

[SPOILER ALERT]

Wired published today a very interesting interview with Neil Druckmann (yes, the man who almost killed Elena in Uncharted 2) and artist Faith Erin Hicks. The main topic was obviously The Last of Us: Left Behind, the recently published DLC for The Last of Us, the most celebrated game released in 2013. Wired asked Druckmann about the ending: we know from the main game that Ellie survived the bite while Riley didn’t, and yet the DLC ends when they are both bitten, well before Riley’s turning. Druckmann explained in detail this decision, concluding that there is potentially another story to tell.

There’s a book by David Mamet [where] he talks about how you try to enter a scene as late as possible so that the viewer is engaged and trying to fill in the backstory. And you leave as early as possible, so if there are things you don’t have to show, you don’t show them. This story, this arc, was about how Ellie leaves her childhood behind and becomes an adult. There is another story to tell there about what happens afterward, but in terms of this arc that was all we needed to tell and no more. You can fill it in yourself, or maybe one day I’ll team up with Faith and tell the rest of the story.

When pressed by the interviewer, he expanded on the heavy decision, due in the next few weeks, to either continue working on this IP or try something entirely new. But the good news for The Last of Us fans is that, even if Naughty Dog goes ahead with a brand new IP, Druckmann still intends to revisit the world and its characters at some point.

I still have this script written, this story about Ellie’s mom [for] an animated short we were going to do, but it fell through. I’d love for that to see the light of day sometime, maybe as a DLC or a comic book. We’re brainstorming the next [Naughty Dog] project right now; some of the ideas are sequel ideas and some are brand-new IP. We’re just trying to see where our passions lie. Is there more to do here [in The Last of Us] both on a mechanical level or a narrative level, so we’re not repeating ourselves? Or is it this a good point to say goodbye to the characters in this world? It’s a very heavy decision, because whichever direction we go in commits us for the next three to four years. So we’re going to take several weeks to make that decision. Even if we do go to new IP, I’d still like an opportunity to revisit these characters and I’d love to have Faith come back and work with her again.

It’s a tough decision to make, no doubt, and just yesterday I backed CD Projekt about good stories needing clear cut endings. Still, if Naughty Dog indeed has another interesting story to tell with The Last of Us, then by all means, let us visit this amazing world once again, Mr. Druckmann; we can wait, there’s no rush.